 Poster: A snowHead
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We're thinking about a season in alps next year - maybe Chamonix. Would be taking 3 kids, 2 of whom are in early primary school.
If we were going for longer, I would be happy for them gto go to a French school, but only planning to do it once, and for say 4 months, so I think that would be pretty disruptive.
Does anyone know of any English speaking schools near/in ski resorts where they could go - day school not boarding? If not, has anyone done this, and is there another option?
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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There's an international school in Geneva. The bilingual children of our neighbours in Les Saisies go there, and it sounds very good. But I imagine it's horrendously expensive.
footsoldier, depends what you're trying to get out of it. There's always the option of "home education" for the 3Rs, and I imagine you could provide a pretty stimulating and varied life for them, out in a ski resort for a season. You'd need to find them some playmates - maybe you could provide some informal "child minding" services if you were in a place with quite a few British families.
If they're little, French playmates would be a good idea too - maybe a local ski instructor might have kids who would like to learn English by playing with Anglophone kids - in return for free ski lessons! When we lived in Kenya when our boys were 2-3 and 4-5 they used to play with a little Kikuyu boy. George spoke no English - though he learnt a bit as they went along - but it never seemed to matter. They all played very happily together. Sadly, our two learnt no Kikuyu; as there were two of them English dominated. A bit like the Empire, really!
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There are a lot of English children in the primary schools in Chamonix, so they certainly wouldn't be alone. I wonder if it might be worth starting to teach them a bit of French now? They won't need much, just a bit to build on. I started learning it when I was about 6, then stopped for a long time, but when I needed it, it came right back. I think you learn languages very easily at that age.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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footsoldier, some friends of ours went to Uganda for a year with kids aged 12, 9, 7 & 7 and took a teacher with them to home school them.
You might be able to offer an interesting deal to a teacher looking for some time out in the Alps him/herself.
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Thanks all. The tutor idea is my back up plan, but I guess I'd prefer to put them into a French school if they weren't going to be totally put-off by not being able to talk much French at start.
They will be in Primary 1 (4 months in) and Primary 3 so pretty young. I would go for preparatory lessons in UK, but unlikley to be enough for them to slot straight in to an all French environment.
firebug, do you know if the Chamonix primary school does some tuition in English to cater for foreign children? i've had a look around web, but still a bit unclear as to how normal French schools deal with foreign students - some do seem to provide gradual integration.
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I don't, but I'm there on Saturday, and I'll be meeting a friend with two young children, so I'll ask her. Off to La Grave after that though so it might be a while before I can reply 
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| pam w wrote: |
| There's an international school in Geneva. |
There are many in Geneva - it is virtually an English speaking town. The big Ecole International is something like 10-15 k CHF per year. It is oriented to the kids of ONG workers who are only staying for a limited period - 2-5 years. They study to the International Baccalaureat Syllabus.. There is a primary school in Lancy which costs 3K CHF.
The fees I've quoted are for day kids, not boarders.
There is an international school in Grenoble if anyone is interested.
Neither is really practical if you live in Chamonix.
I know nothing of Chamonix but in general children are expected to be able to speak French when they arrive at school. I imagine Chamonix is the Southall of the Alps though .
The only real difficulty you may face is if the local school in your carte scolaire (catchment zone) is oversubscribed and you have to take your kids elsewhere.
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footsoldier, If our experience is anything to go by they'll be fine in French school. We've just put our 11 year old into French secondary where he's getting lots of support. There is another family out here with young children and they're at the primary in les Contamines - again a French school with lots of support. The schools don't do Englsih tuition, but the kids seem to fit in fine.
and we're all only here for a few months too.
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Hey all - I am not sure when this thread was posted but I am wondering what you found out?
We are a family from the UK who are planning on moving out to Chamonix in July and are looking for a school for our children aged 9 & 7. Did you go down the school route at all? I would be very grateful for any information you may have.
Thanks so much in advance!
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